Past Events

February 11, 2020

Great “food for thought,” coupled with a delicious Brown Bear’s Hot Dog, makes for
a fantastic kick-off to our 2020 Spring Pay it Forward Luncheon Forums.

Hot Dog fans will not want to miss the February 11th Pay It Forward Luncheon Forum
featuring Brown Bear’s Hot Dogs from the famous family-owned Fresno eatery! Not only
will you get a sample of what makes Brown Bear’s Hot Dogs one of the best in the Central
Valley, but you will have the opportunity to listen to owner Benjerman Raya share
his inspirational personal and professional journey.

Benjerman and Jennifer Chu-Raya, owners of Brown Bear’s Hot Dogs, have more than 30
years of combined experience in the food industry. Initially, operating from a hot
dog cart, Benjerman and Jennifer have grown their business to a permanent drive-through
restaurant in north Fresno. Benjerman, a native Fresnan, understands the importance
of passion, perseverance, a strong work ethic and a positive attitude. Sign up today
for a very special (and delicious!) start to our Spring Pay It Forward series.

November 12, 2019

Ben Runyon and Becca Cartier

October 11, 2019

Karin Huebner

September 12, 2019

Hall of Fame Sales Manager turned Entrepreneur.

"I've gone from sales to CEO, and now I Train, Speak, Coach, andInvest to build great businesses. I aim to inspire innovators to become better leaders.
I absolutely love teaching,coaching, and building entrepreneurial leaders!"

April 9, 2019

John Shegerian is a serial social entrepreneur who focuses on solving global problems
through game changing innovation to build successful, socially responsible companies.
John is also an inspirational public speaker, being invited to speak at conferences
and provide keynote speeches at a variety of special events.

No stranger to “recycling lives” and serving up second chances, in 1993 Shegerian
co-founded Homeboy Tortillas and Homeboy Industries, which continues to serve as a paradigm for urban renewal in America and was awarded
the New York Stock Exchange Building for the Future Award for creating new jobs and
opportunities for gang-impacted youth in post-riot Los Angeles.

Shegerian is also the creator of the popular Bulldog Root Beer brand, which he launched in 1997.

Shegerian then co-founded FinancialAid.com, filling the financial aid gap for higher education and generating one of the most
successful student loan companies in the country. While at FinancialAid.com, he also created RateYourCampus.com (a college student polling and feedback community), leading to the creation of CampusDirt.com (which evolved into the most relevant and visited college search engine of its time).
Also, CampusClix.com was created and became one of the first college social networking properties on the
web.

In October 2004, Shegerian and his partners sold FinancialAid.com and all the aforementioned affiliated properties to Education Lending Group, which
was purchased in February 2005 by CIT (NYSE: CIT).

Shegerian founded Addicted.com in 2005, one of the largest web resources for individuals
seeking help for addictions online. The website boasts a database of over 20,000 addiction
centers across the United States.

Shegerian is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of ERI, the United States’ leading recycler of electronic waste and the world’s largest
IT asset disposition (ITAD) and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company.
ERI processes more than 275 million pounds of electronic waste annually at eight locations,
serving every zip code in the United States, and providing peace of mind to hundreds
of thousands of individuals and businesses that their personal data is responsibly
destroyed.

Shegerian is the co-founder and CMO of The Marketing Masters, a digital marketing and web development company that builds effective, ROI-driven
marketing campaigns for businesses large and small.

Shegerian is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business’ Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) Advisory Board and was named
the Clean Tech Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California by Ernst & Young.

March 1, 2019

Dr. Jeffrey Davis is the founder and CEO of Exploring 4 Solutions, LLC, and an Executive-in-Residence
at the Crowd Innovation Laboratory at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social
Science. In 2017, Jeff joined the board of the nonprofit Girlstart. He is a recognized
international leader, educator, speaker, author and consultant in collaborative innovation,
human system risk management in health care systems, and space and aviation medicine.
He provides deep technical knowledge based on more than 30 years of experience in
NASA, commercial aviation and academia. He has strong skills in the risk management
of complex healthcare systems in space flight, aviation and occupational health environments,
and organizational change through collaborative and open innovation efforts. Jeff’s
unique experience and insights across government, academic, corporate and non-profit
settings provide a depth of technical knowledge that builds bridges between various
disciplines and partners.

Prior to his CEO role, Jeff served as the Director, Human Health and Performance,
and the Chief Medical Officer for the NASA Johnson Space Center. In these roles he
provided technical leadership and management for medical care, biomedical research
and technology development for space exploration. Jeff also promoted the use of open
innovation in NASA to enhance problem solving and organizational development. He initiated
the NASA Human Health and Performance Center (NHHPC) in 2010 and served as its director
until 2017. The NHHPC is a major collaborative center for NASA with over 150 members
in public, private, academic and nonprofit sectors. Along with partners, Jeff established
the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) in 2011 and served as
the deputy director until 2017. CoECI provides consulting expertise to NASA and other
federal agencies for the use of open innovation.

Dr. Davis received his B.S. degree in Biology from Stanford University, an M.D. degree
from the University of California at San Diego, and a Master of Science degree from
Wright State University. He is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
Past positions include Professor, Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the
University of Texas Medical Branch; Corporate Medical Director, American Airlines;
and Chief, Medical Operations, NASA Johnson Space Center. His national board participation
included service as the chair of the American Board of Preventive Medicine; chair
of the Residency Review Committee for Preventive Medicine; and president of the Aerospace
Medical Association.

February 5, 2019

Lynne Ashbeck is the senior vice president, community engagement and population wellness
for Valley Children’s Healthcare. In her role, Lynne works with physicians, hospital
staff and community leaders to formulate and implement population wellness strategies
designed to improve the health outcomes of children and their families in their neighborhoods,
schools and community. Lynne’s work reflects her career-long efforts to improve the lives of
the most vulnerable, with children leading the list of her passions.

A respected civic leader, Lynne is currently serving her fifth term on the Clovis
City Council. She was first elected in 2001, served as mayor from 2003 – 2005 and
again from 2013 – 2015. She founded the Clovis Citizen’s Academy, a five-week training
program to help Clovis residents learn more about local government and is active with
the League of California Cities Institute for Local Government initiatives around
civic engagement and public participation. Prior to her election to the City Council,
Lynne served on the City’s Personnel Commission and Planning Commission.

Lynne is an adjunct professor at Fresno Pacific University, teaching conflict resolution
courses in both the undergraduate healthcare administration and graduate leadership
programs. She is involved in Governor-appointed roles on the Mental Health Services
Oversight and Accountability Commission and the California Partnership for the San
Joaquin Valley and as a board member or co-chair in many community and regional organizations.

Prior to joining Valley Children’s, Lynne was the regional vice president for the
Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, serving nearly 40 hospitals in
10 counties. She also had professional experiences in population health at local medical
centers; higher education as the extension programs director at California State University,
Fresno; and agriculture, with nearly 20 years of work on behalf of the dairy industry
as the vice president, program services for Dairy Council of California. She also
served as a senior mediator/facilitator with the Center for Collaborative Policy,
California State University, Sacramento.

Lynne completed both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in home economics/nutrition
at Fresno State and is a registered dietitian. She completed a master’s degree in
conflict resolution and peacemaking from Fresno Pacific University.

The Pay It Forward luncheon series brings together Fresno State students and community
professionals. Each luncheon is led by a different leader, from or with strong ties
to the Central Valley and Fresno State. This event acts as a forum for dialogue, explores
in-depth issues, and allows for impactful networking.

Prior to DRINKS, Josiah ran business development for the social game studio Meteor
Games, where he worked with Facebook management to help develop the growing multi-billion
dollar Facebook games channel, and spearheaded partnerships that resulted in the free
acquisition of millions of new players. In addition, Josiah led revenue generation
efforts that resulted in 1,000% per-user revenue growth after just one year.

As mobile applications were first introduced, Josiah founded JooJoo Mobile, a boutique
mobile game and application development studio that serviced the Los Angeles entertainment
industry. Josiah started his career at Hydra, an online performance-based marketing
company, where he spearheaded product and business development and built the company’s
award-winning creative team.

September 13, 2018

As the only First Impressions Consulting certified consultant based on the West Coast,
Gia Kazarian’s personable demeanor and professional development expertise are the
formula for achieving desired personal and professional results. With over 15 years
of experience in human resources and leadership development, Gia works with individuals
to strengthen their social skills, self-awareness and professional behaviors through
a proven method.

First Impressions Consulting was founded by Dr. Ann Demarais; author and psychologist
of New York. First Impressions helps you discover how you are perceived at work, while
navigating your career, and in social situations. We help you gain self-awareness,
provide you with supportive and constructive feedback, and show you how to take practical
steps to realize your goals. Our unique methodology combines business and social psychology,
is grounded in academic research, built on real-world experience, and tailored to
the individual. Follow-up data shows that more than 90% of our clients have used their
First Impressions coaching with lasting, positive impact.

Gia’s history with the First Impressions team and passion for improving individuals
through education is infectious, as you can see in her career. She has directed and
implemented leadership development and HR programs for Fortune 500 companies. She
brings this national experience and exposure to the California’s Central Valley.

Gia’s clientele includes people working in the following industries:

• Advertising

• Beauty

• Construction

• Customer Service

• Energy

• Financial

• Health/Wellness

• Human Resources

• Legal Services

• Manufacturing

• Operations

• Retail

• Security

• Services

• Technology

She works with individuals, teams, and organizations on how to tell the truth and
collaborate in a way that allows them to unlock opportunities, achieve new results,
and gracefully produce needed changes on-the-spot.

Gia lives with her husband of nine years and their two young sons. She enjoys spending
quality time with friends and family, trying new fitness activities and connecting
with her Armenian roots in supporting cultural events. Above all, Gia thrives in meeting
new people and helping others seek their full potential.

April 11, 2018

As CEO and co-founder of Bitwise Industries, Irma Olguin Jr. oversees the company’s
operations teams, as well as tech-focused training program, Geekwise Academy, and
custom software development firm, Shift3 Technologies – ensuring each’s fidelity to
mission, strategy, and long-term goals.In 2010, she created 59DaysOfCode, a competition highlighting and encouraging the
Valleyʼs tech industry. A year later, she co-founded Hashtag, an open workspace for
designers and developers alike. In 2013, she co-founded Edit LLC to solve efficiency
and data issues in the ag industry. But it was in 2012, over a Red Bull (her) and
gin and tonic (him) with her IP attorney, Jake, the decision was made to build a company
focused on strengthening Fresno’s tech industry and leveraging it as the economic
driver to remake a city.The best part of all of her ventures, she says, is figuring out what role someone
is best suited for. Admittedly, adjusting the world so people can spend more time
doing good work and less time worrying about filling the gas tank is the only way
she knows how to save the world.

March 19, 2018

Judge Robert Oliver has more than 40 years of legal experience in Fresno County. A
business and estate planning lawyer for 22 years, Oliver was appointed to the Fresno
Municipal Court in April of 1995 and elevated by consolidation to the Superior Court
in April of 1998. Immediately prior to retiring from the bench in January 2015, after
nearly 20 years of service, he sat by assignment on the Court of Appeal, Fifth District
in November-December 2014.

Judge Oliver has joined Baker Manock & Jensen as Of Counsel, where he will specialize
in dispute resolution and mediation to help resolve issues between people and organizations.
He is a Board Certified Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Specialist.

Among his assignments, Judge Oliver served in the trial department for 11 years, presiding
over more than 200 jury trials. As Supervising Judge of the Probate Division, he was
directly involved in more than 200 case settlements. He also served as presiding judge
of the five-court Juvenile Department and as a member of the appellate panel of the
Superior Court. He chaired the Court's jury oversight committee and was a member of
statewide committees dealing with jury and judicial outreach issues. He served as
an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Fresno County Superior Court for
more than nine years. He served as a member of the Executive Board of the California
Judges Association; was elected in 2008 as a Vice President and served as Vice President
of the California Judges Association Foundation.

Judge Oliver has been a law school adjunct faculty member, teaching secured real property
transactions and corporate law. He has taught business organization law for the paralegal
program at San Joaquin College of Law and business law at the Craig School of Business,
California State University, Fresno. Throughout his career, he has been a frequent
speaker and panelist on a variety of subjects including: communications skills; conflict
resolution in the probate case; ethical issues for the business lawyer; the realities
of succession planning; practical charitable giving ideas; and ethical considerations
for the estate planning professional.

Judge Oliver's dedication to the community and legal profession is demonstrated by
the following examples of organizations in which he has served as president or chair.
Saint Agnes Medical Center Foundation: Rotary Club of Fresno; Fresno City and County
Historical Society; Fresno Estate Planning Council; Fresno County Interagency Council
for Children and Families; California State University, Fresno Foundation; National
Conference of Bar Foundations; the Foundation of the State Bar of California; Fresno
County Bar Association; Fresno County Young Lawyers. Oliver was also elected a member
and a vice president of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California; and
was appointed to the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission (JNE).

February 28, 2018

Terance Frazier was born in Oakland, California. He received a B.S. in Criminal Justice,
while playing baseball at Fresno State. Mr. Frazier’s hard work and skill led the
Fresno State Baseball team to win the championship three years in a row. In 1992,
he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics and a few years later played with the St.
Paul Saints of Minnesota.

Upon his retirement from professional baseball, Mr. Frazier returned to Fresno to
pursue his interest and passion of real estate investment. In 1996, he partnered with
Mr. Steve Hosey to establish a real estate investment company with a focus in acquisition
of distressed single family homes. This venture took off and with growth came diversification
of investments.

Mr. Frazier’s experience and expertise allowed him to grow his personal business.
In 2004, he established TFS Investments, LLC, where he serves as the Managing Member.
With a passion for improving neighborhoods in the inner city, Mr. Frazier continued
to invest in renovations of distressed single and multi-family housing in the city
of Fresno. TFS Investments, LLC currently invests in approximately 100 residential
properties per year and has invested in approximately 10,000 over the last 20 years.
Identifying the needs that exist in the inner city, he continued to grow his venture
by diversifying his investments and entering into partnerships with other local developers
to build large commercial projects like Campus Pointe and Midstate Bowl.

Today, the company specializes in all areas of residential and commercial real estate,
with an extensive portfolio that not only includes Central California, but also Texas
and Georgia. TFS Investments, LLC has steered over $600,000,000 in investment dollars
from a large investment group over the last 20 years to the Fresno market. Due to
Mr. Frazier’s experience and relationships in the development world he has been successful
in developing projects that have given synergy to initiatives like the revitalization
of Downtown Fresno. These projects include condominiums, retail stores, and office
spaces. His vision for a revitalized Downtown Fresno has generated much interest from
local and out of state investors. Mr. Frazier is part of the group of investors developing
condominiums that will oversee the Chuckchansi Park and a Public Market that will
be an anchor and centerpiece of the new Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno. TFS Investments,
LLC has positioned itself to be one of the largest investors committed to seeing Downtown
Fresno become an entertainment hub for the Central Valley.

Mr. Frazier is also the President of Central Cal Baseball Academy (Central Cal), a
non-profit which he founded in 1997. Central Cal focuses on the development and mentoring
of student-athletes in an environment that encourages sportsmanship and academics.
The non-profit is committed to mentoring at-risk youth and ensuring that cost is not
an obstacle to motivated players. Central Cal emphasizes academic achievement, substance
abuse education, and community service. The non-profit has a track record of 100%
high school graduation, sends kids to college and the major leagues.

Mr. Frazier has five children and is very active in his community. He serves on State
Center Community College District (SCCCD) Foundation Board, SCCCD Executive Committee,
Dugout Club, Fresno State Alumni Association, Southwest Community Development Corporation,
Mayor-Council Code Enforcement Task Force, Fresno State Alumni Engagement Committee,
and is President of the Fresno State Baseball Alumni Association.

Mr. Frazier has received many accolades and recognition for his personal success,
but also for the commitment to improving the community. In 2011, Senator Michael Rubio
(ret.) recognized recognized him as Man of the Year in the State of California.

Other awards and accomplishments include: Businessman of the year by the National
Republican Congressional Committee, NAACP’s Image Award for Business, 2015 Fresno
County Office of Education Athletics Honoree, 2015 SCCC Wall of Honor Inductee, Economic
Development Award from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (San Joaquin Valley Alumnae
Chapter), 2015 Urban Leadership Champion in Entertainment and Business and the 2016
Success in Real Estate and Construction Award (both were presented by the Fresno Metro
Black Chamber of Commerce). Most recently, he was recognized for his 20-year service
to helping at-risk kids reach their full potential through the sport of baseball.

November 7, 2017

GenesisWilson is in CFO of Dutch Bros Fresno, which she owns with her husband Brent. This duo has
been running the franchise in Fresno for nearly 10 years. Together, they have built
the business to include 5 locations, both drive through and walk up, and an event
truck that serves throughout the community. They currently employ over 230 people.

Genesis holds a Business Administration Degree from California State University, Northridge
and she is a member of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. In addition, it is important
to both Genesis and Brent that their company be a force for good in the community, and they have
donated over $181,000 to local organizations like the Marjaree Mason Center, Poverello
House, Valley Children's Hospital, MDA, and Boys & Girls Club. More than the money
they donate, they work very hard to teach philanthropy to their employees by regularly
involving them in giving process.

October 16, 2017

September 14, 2017

April 27, 2017

March 14, 2017

February 16, 2017

November 7, 2016

October 13, 2016

September 14, 2016

April 20, 2016

March 17, 2016

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